Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Anna K: A Love Story

I enjoyed this, it was a fun read. But ultimately after finishing it, I don’t know how I felt about it. I feel like it just kept getting more bizarre at every turn.

First there was Nicholas’s death and the overlap with Kimmie and Natalia, and that was kind of sweet and serendipity. Then there was the Alexander breakup, then there was the sex tape, then there was Vronsky’s death. It just felt like the more it was, the more it was just like throwing everything at the kitchen sink.

I do like the characters and I liked seeing how they developed. They’re all relatable in their own way despite being richer than rich. Overall was a fun, somewhat quick read, that I enjoyed but don’t even know if I want to read the sequel.

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sarahamelias's review against another edition

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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gabbygarcia's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun audiobook! Though I don't think I would have enjoyed it so much if I hadn't listened to it...
Jenna Ushkowitz is perfect.

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egmamaril's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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samchase112's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.

This was a solid read. If you're not familiar, this book is a retelling of Anna Karenina (the classic Russian epic) which takes place in the rich upper society of New York. And when I say retelling, I mean pretty much to the T. The plot is followed fairly religiously, the characters are just as unbearably terrible (but in a good way?), and very similar questions are explored. Seriously, the lifestyle these characters lead is pretty terrible to read about, because yes, their lives are insane and filled with extreme expectations and extreme downfalls, but at the same time every single one of them (besides Dustin/Levin and Kitty, the real mvps) takes their life and wealth for granted. I will say that I enjoyed Anna more here than in the original, probably because she was a teenager and thus more forgiven for her mistakes than, say, a grown woman with children who she neglects for a young hot Vronsky. There were some great twists to the story, especially at the end, and everything tied together well. When I think back to Anna Karenina, however, I will remember my experience with the original and likely forget about this (well done, perfectly fine) retelling.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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challenging funny tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really struggled with this book. When I started reading it, it felt like a fun mix of Crazy Rich Asians and Gossip Girl blended together. The teenage drama and angst mixed with a bit of comedy. There was the hijinks, the tabloids, the money, the sex.

But there were so many characters to follow and that made it challenging right off the bat. I know there was a cast of characters listed in the book, but listening to an audiobook, I couldn't easily access those to keep track. And even if I had been reading a physical copy, I think I would've gotten confused. There were even super similar names that had me feeling upside down and backward a few times.

In addition, the fact that this book was YA with such intense sexual overtones made me really uncomfortable. It's one thing to read about it when it's an adult book, but we were talking about 15-year-olds watching other kids have sex (and describing the acts) and that just made me feel gross.

I know the story of Anna Karenina, so I wasn't terribly surprised by the way things played out, since it followed that storyline pretty closely. The whole book was just incredibly long for not much actually happening - or a lot happening but nothing fruitful? I don't know, but it wasn't what I hoped for, I guess.

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